Starting your first year at university can be an exhilarating experience. You are now independent of your parents and have to accustom yourself to a whole new life. This, however, can be challenging. Between studying and partying it up with your friends it can be difficult to find a balance. Here are some tips on how to keep a balanced lifestyle in university.

Your first year is not a “free year”

It can be tempting to slack off during your first year and take advantage of the student lifestyle. But your first year is actually there to teach you how to manage your second and third year. Instead of partying all the time, take advantage of it and teach yourself how to manage your time. This way when things get harder later on in your degree you won’t get stressed out because of the extra work.  

Learn to say no

There will be times when your friends will invite you to some of the “best parties” on campus, but you’ll find that it is the night before an essay or test. Before you actually agree to go out, you should look at the dates of your assignments. This means you’ll have to say no to a party or two, but if you want to get that degree sometimes you have to make sacrifices when it comes to your social life.

Structure your weekdays

It’s easy to think that the only work you need to do for the week is to attend lectures. However, when it’s finally time to write your exams you’ll find that this isn’t enough for you to pass. Rather than relaxing throughout the week, you should structure your weekdays. Set at the time that you wake up to every morning, then go to a cafe to prepare for your lectures. If you finish your lectures early, go and study some more. This way you won’t have to miss out on any socialising later on.

Get enough sleep

Sleep is a big thing if you want to survive a hectic week of partying and studying. So when you’re planning out your week, be sure to include nights where you go to bed early. This way you won’t crash and burn by the time the weekend comes around.   

Learning to balance your academic and social lifestyle is something that you have to constantly teach yourself. It will take time as well as a lot of trial and error, but once you get it right you’ll find it easier to manage your lifestyle.